[Bazza Redmond]

I just dont get it ???
Im a reasonably smart guy who likes phones and other new technologies. Im in Ireland and have changed companies. They all use BB so I got one (8310).
Boy am I sorry
The first one stopped working after a week bacause the camera jammed and I could see nothing on screen. I changed it and the 2nd one stopped working after 3 days because it continually switched itself on and off and dropped my phone signal when it wasnt doing that !!
So I changed it again. Im now on my 3rd after a month.

The menus are appaling, the help feature is useless. I seem to know more than my provider, and there is no BB helpdesk I can ring in Ireland (or anywhere??) for assistance. The online help was obviously written by someone who never went outside their house as the language is very tecky.

And the ultimate proof is the amount of traffic on the BB/RIM website in the user forum area, where the USERS are solving their own problems by exchanging info. It is similar to this fantastic site which provides the same service.

So what is it ?? what am I missing about these 'brilliant' pieces of equipment??
please help me understand before I drive over this piece of **** and go get a nokia or an ipaq

Bazza


Thank you for allowing me indulge in a rant, I didn't know where else to go !!

[TvTechGuru]

Well there is a feature that will turn the phone on and off for you at preset times. So make sure that's off by going into Options and Auto On/Off and make sure all is disabled.

What else are you frustrated about? Are you having trouble learning the menu?

I would highly recommend the demos on BlackBerry. Once there, click the support tab at the top, then on the left click Blackberry 101, then find the demo for your phone in the list and click and watch that. It is interactive so it should help you learn your phones menu. These are great for beginners. When the demo starts you can click 'manual advance' and then 'menu' to learn specific things.

On crackberry.com at the top of the page on the right is a "Newbies tab". You can look in there for guides that should help you. Good luck and ask any other questions you may have! We are here to help!

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[GapBoyPCS]

Sorry to hear about the troubles. It seems a bit odd that you're having to swap a phone that much in one month. Are these brand new devices or refurbished? Do they have the latest operating software?

The BlackBerry isn't meant for everyone. It's the same as the iPhone or Nokia or iPaq...everyone will have different opinions on whether they like the device for their needs. You'll hear the same complaints from those who chose other devices and then scratched their heads why they even bothered. I've always liked Nokias myself. Their E71 looks good, but I just don't like how it feels in my hand.

The core of BlackBerry still comes back to messaging. The device was originally meant to get (mainly corporate) messages back and forth. The fun stuff (like media players, cameras, and web browsers) were all added to make it more consumer-oriented. Keeping that in mind, a lot of larger corporations have different messaging needs and requirements. So, they customize what can and can't be done with the BB. As a result, a lot of the support technical articles posted seem to be very "techy". The forums help to bring that knowledge down to the "common" person.

There is a helpdesk for RIM, but they do charge for the service: BlackBerry - BlackBerry Support Programs | BlackBerry Technical Support Service, Device Training & Software Maintenance
Most carriers have a dedicated Data Support or team that handles questions on BlackBerry and other smartphones. Whether you get someone that's estute is another matter. The big question I have is why you feel the need for assistance? Is it more for orientation and being able to just use the device, or is the assistance very technical (such as trying to get it to receive your work email through a secure server)? When you changed companies, do you mean carriers or just employment?

One of the most common gripes I have seen in the past few months is bandwagon jumping (getting devices because everyone else is). Unless a company mandates a specific device, always test them out and get lots of opinions and research before plopping down the money. What may be good for your friend may not be good for you. That being said, if a company mandates having a BlackBerry xxxx, then you're stuck.

[joe003]

Welcome to CB!

Sorry to hear about any trouble you are having. There is a learning curve to get to know all your features. If you're having to exchange them, maybe you are getting refurb'd devices. I'd insist on a new, unused device. Definately check out the demos at blackberry.com and there's a 101 series link in my signature below. Take time to get to know your new device. It really is a great piece of technology.

[Bazza Redmond]

Guys,
thank you all for your indulgence. I was having a little rant earlier when I wrote that because it's very frustrating.
I guess I am used to the linear logical thinking of Nokia phones, which are all menu driven and do it as they say they will. All the phones I got were straight out of the box and were certainly sold to me as new. When I say my 'company', I mean my employment, but interestingly I changed to Vodafone too from another provider.

A simple example of what I mean is when you look at the number of times that a 'battery pull' is recommended by other users as a way to sort a problem !!!! what sort of technology is that ??? And that it is the users themselves who (through frustration) fiddle around with the device in an effort to solve problems...................problems which shouldn't be there in the first place.

I have to acknowledge all the points made above about where the technology and device came from and its original raisan d'etre. I accept that to be able to send and receive emails from both my work account and my gmail is very convenient, and if only the device worked and the menus were user friendly it would be a genius device.

I will perservere and perhaps I will become a devoted BB user too. I really want to be but the device seems to be ambushing me at every turn.

Again, thank you for your calm advice and guidance and I will check out the links suggested above

BZA

[Heavy Fluid]

It takes a while to understand how and why BB's work how they do. Once you get the hang of it, you will wonder how you did stuff before without it. I found the Help on the BB to be pretty worthless, so I deleted it. I come here if I need to find out information.

I also thought that a battery pull was kind of a joke, but if that is what it takes to reset the device to work properly, then that is what I have to do.

Welcome to CB. Give it a little time, and I am sure that you will get the hang of it.

[LuvMyBB]

GapBoy's response was very good. I agree with pretty much everything he said.

As for whether or not the menus are intuitive, that's pretty much unique to each user. We all think and process information differently, so what works for me might not work for you, etc. Plus it depends on what you came from. I found the menus to be very user-friendly, but that's just me. As with any significant change, it can take days or weeks to adapt, and some may never adapt.

The hardware failures you described seem to be very unusual. You may have just been unlucky enough to get a couple of lemons, as most of the folks on here haven't had these issues.

As others have said, BB is not for everyone. For those of us who have adapted, it's hard to imagine not having one now.

[Branta]

I also thought that a battery pull was kind of a joke, but if that is what it takes to reset the device to work properly, then that is what I have to do.

THis is the BlackBerry equivalent to Ctrl-Alt-Del reboot on your Windows computer. Anyone who has been around computers will know that software conflicts build up when humans are driving, and a restart is the easiest certain way to clear the problems and start with a clean sheet. Reboot is usually one of the first things suggested by anyone providing tech support simply because it puts the equipment back into a known reproducible condition.

And yes, there is a keyboard way on Blackberry (Alt-RtShift-Del) but it's so damned difficult to hold the phone and reach all the keys together, much easier to go for the battery.

[LuvMyBB]

THis is the BlackBerry equivalent to Ctrl-Alt-Del reboot on your Windows computer. Anyone who has been around computers will know that software conflicts build up when humans are driving, and a restart is the easiest certain way to clear the problems and start with a clean sheet. Reboot is usually one of the first things suggested by anyone providing tech support simply because it puts the equipment back into a known reproducible condition.

And yes, there is a keyboard way on Blackberry (Alt-RtShift-Del) but it's so damned difficult to hold the phone and reach all the keys together, much easier to go for the battery.

Well said. However, I disagree on the keyboard way...for me, it's much easier than a battery pull. I have trained and contorted my fingers to do it very efficiently!

[chillywilly818]

I lol'ed at OP

[Branta]

The first one stopped working after a week bacause the camera jammed and I could see nothing on screen. I changed it and the 2nd one stopped working after 3 days because it continually switched itself on and off and dropped my phone signal when it wasnt doing that !!
So I changed it again. Im now on my 3rd after a month.

The first one was probably a software issue. Cameras on phones don't 'jam' because there are no moving parts, and failure of the camera sensor is very unusual.

The second sounds like a hardware defect if it keeps shutting down. Most likely a flaky battery contact.

And the third one? What help or advice can we offer? You've not left any problems for CB to solve.

Oh, and don't drive over your phone. Wrap it in bubblefilm, put it in a box and write my address on the outside